Kavli Recipients Named

Posted on May 28, 2008 by Michael E. Heintz
Updating an earlier post on the new award for nanotechnology, the Kavli Prize, the first set of recipients has been named.  Remember, the award is for "transforming human knowledge in the fields of nanoscience, neuroscience and astrophysics."  The recipients were named earlier today, and there are seven total.

The full list of award winners can be found here, but briefly, they are as follows:

  • Maarten Schmidt, of the California Institute of Technology, and Donald Lynden-Bell, of Cambridge University jointly received the prize for astrophysics for their work with quasars;
  • Louis E. Brus, of Columbia University, and Sumio Iijima, of Meijo University in Japan, jointly received the nanoscience prize for their work with quantum dots and nanotubes; and
  • Pasko Rakic, of the Yale University School of Medicine, Thomas Jessell, of Columbia University, and Sten Grillner, of the Karolinska Institute in Sweden jointly received the neuroscience prize for their work with brain and spinal cord cells.

The prizes will be awarded at a ceremony in September by Crown Prince Haakon  in Oslo.  Congratulations to all the winners!

 
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Nanotechnology Award

Posted on April 13, 2008 by Michael E. Heintz
It may not be a Nobel Prize, but the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters will announce the first ever science prize for outstanding achievement in nanosciences in May. You'll remember that there was some prior speculation as to a Nobel Prize in nanotechnology, and that it was to be announced at NanoTX'07.  But due to other issues, the announcement never came.  Now, the first recipients of the Kavli Prize, comprising three awards, one each in the field of nanoscience, neuroscience, and astrophysics, will be announced on May 28.  Each award comes with a $1 million prize, similar to the prize money awarded for Nobel recipients.

The nanoscience award will recognize "outstanding achievement in the science and application of the unique physical, chemical, and biological properties of atomic, molecular, macromolecular, and cellular structures and systems that are manifest in the nanometer scale," including "molecular self-assembly, nanomaterials, nanoscale instrumentation, nanobiotechnology, macromolecular synthesis, molecular mechanics, and related topics."

As with the earlier speculation over a Nobel Prize in nanotechnology, it is exciting to see the international recognition nanoscience researchers will receive from the upcoming Kavli Prize.  High visibility awards such as these will encourage continued research and development with regards to nanotechnology while providing positive press to the science and the community as a whole.  I look forward to seeing who the recipients are.
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